Philadelphia 76ers: 5 most important players in Celtics series

3. Tobias Harris

Toward the end of the seeding stretch, Tobias Harris struggled to find his shot. When the playoffs begin though, his offensive consistency must find a way to be turned up another notch.

Ben Simmons’ absence may impact Harris’s game more than anyone, knowing that fast breaks were much more potent with Simmons running the show. Harris may get easy baskets in transition, but not at the same clip as when Simmons was playing. Therefore, Harris will probably have to create more for himself off the dribble and receive passes out of Embiid double teams to be most effective.

Being unable to run as much will put pressure on Harris’s perimeter game, but he has shown that his 3-point shooting has improved since last year. Should Embiid get into foul trouble or experience any new, random injury, Harris will have to carry the load as the team’s most offensively versatile player.

As the vocal leader for the Sixers, Harris has been an advocate for social change and a reliable, veteran figure for the younger players all year. In the playoffs though, Harris must show the true value in his game to help the 76ers advance to the next round.